She was an avid Bando student and participated in every possible training session and camps with various instructors to broaden her overall knowledge of the Martial Arts.  She became particularly interested in the Snow Tiger system as taught by Bob Hill, and in January, 1978, moved from Atlanta to Chattanooga to study full time.  Bob taught a Black Belt-only class, the bulk of which were Tennessee ironworkers.  As the only female among such rough training partners, Miriam received countless bruises and minor injuries, although the guys also viewed her almost as a little sister and personally protected her on more than one occasion. 

She was promoted by Bob Hill to First Level Black Belt in Bando on April 19, 1978, and was honored to have several individuals confirm her promotion by signing the promotion certificate:  Rick Niemira, John Taylor, Joe Manley, Lloyd Davis, Jim Pugh, and Charles Kennedy.

Her promotion to Second Level Black Belt in Bando came on April 4, 1981.

Perhaps her only “claim to fame” is as the Snow Tiger kata encyclopedia.  Bob Hill taught incredibly lengthy forms, but would only perform them once.  He taught all the forms to Miriam, who painstakingly transcribed move-by-move notes on each form.  If anyone else needed to learn a particular form, Bob Hill had Miriam teach them. 

Snow Tiger is comprised of nine systems:

·        Tiger / Leopard

·        Bull

·        Boar

·        Snake / Serpent

·        Crane / Mantis

·        Eagle’s Claw

·        Dragon

·        Monkey

·        Horse

(Charles Hanson and Miriam Niemira)

Besides some of the shorter unnamed forms, Miriam learned forms from the Bull, Boar, Eagle, and Leopard styles, as well as the short Bo, Nunte-Bo, Kukri, Hawkbill Knife, and One-Armed Nun (both empty-hand and with sword).

She taught a Bando class at the Chattanooga YMCA for several years, deriving a great deal of enjoyment from it and promoting her first student, Mr. Ashley Brooks, to Black Belt during this time.

Miriam’s involvement in the Bando system also enabled her to train in the Isshin-Ryu system, attaining the rank of Sho-Dan on December 1, 1984.

Rick had moved to Chattanooga following his retirement from the Metropolitan Police (District of Columbia) in 1981.  In 1985, Miriam and Rick moved to Cumming, Georgia, so that Rick could pursue job opportunities.  They were married on August 2, 1985.  Sadly for them, God’s plan was such that they would only be together for two and a half years before Rick died of cancer on March 25, 1988.

(Rick and Miriam Niemira)

Miriam continued to teach privately in Cumming for several years following Rick’s death, but was finally forced to retire when the responsibilities of raising a family became too great. She had adopted a son (Chris) from Paraguay, South America, in 1992, and a second son (Brett) from Guatemala in 1995. 

Miriam considers herself to be truly, truly blessed to have formed a number of very deep friendships with individuals whom she has known through the martial arts over the years. 

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Thoughts from Grand Master Donald Bohan

Two weeks before Sensei Bohan passed we made time for a long visit, where I asked and he answered every possible question that popped into my head.   The following reflects some of Sensei Bohan’s thoughts about Bando / Isshin-Ryu martial artist Miriam Niemira:

When I asked him to name his top 5 Weapons Karate-Ka – Miriam Niemira was one of the five.

When I asked him to name his top 5 Karate-Ka that understood Bunkai and its principles- Miriam Niemira was one of the five.

When I asked him to name the best Kata martial artist he had seen and worked out with -  Without any hesitation he said, "I've been lucky.  I've worked out with the best.  Miriam Niemira is without a dough the best.  She understands concepts and can dissect a kata better than anyone I've seen.   That woman is a walking martial arts encyclopedia." 

Wayne Wayland